Life-boat.



P. W. MARTIN:

Patented July 15, 1913.

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FREDERIC W. MARTIN, OF ASTORIA, NEW YORK.

LIFE-BOAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 15, 1913.

Application filed October 12, 1912. Serial No. 725,388.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Fnnnnnio W. MARTIN,

bers at the ends of the life-boat, such connecting member being soarranged and proportioned as to provide tension and stiffening means forthe life-boat, adapted to prevent collapse thereof, as for instance whenthe boat is supported by the davits and contains passengers, the weightof whom might otherwise collapse the boat when lowering the same intothe water.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for generallystrengthening life-boats and rendering them tight, without reference tothe structure of the boat between the keel and the hull, as under thepresent invention there might be a leak adjacent the keel and yet thestructure of the improved boat is such that the same can float.

These being among the objects of the present invention, the sameconsists of certain features of construction and combinations of partsto be hereinafter described and then claimed with reference to theaccompanying drawings showing a suitable embodiment of the invention,and in which Figure 1 is a plan of the improved boat; Fig. 2 is anenlarged detail vertical section on the line 2-2 Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is asection on the line 33 Fig. 2; Fig. 4: is a transverse section on theline 4- l Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view of a preferredjoint involved in this improvement.

Referring to the drawings, the hull 1 of the boat is usually composed ofsuitable sheet metal and is provided with a keel 2, while at each end ofthe boat there is an air chamber preferably of the construction shown.Each air chamber comprises opposite side portions 3lformed of portionsof the hull, and a top sheet 5 which is provided with side flanges 6,together with an end sheet 7 provided with side flanges 8. Between theend sheets 7 of the two air chambers, space is provided in the hull forthe passen gers, which space is usually equipped with seats. The flanges6, 8, are riveted or otherwise suitably secured to the sides of thehull, and the outer end of the top sheet 5 of each air chamber is spaceda suitable distance from the keel 2 while the lower end of the end sheet7 of each air chamberis also spaced a suitable distance from said keel.Air chambers are provided with apron-strips 9, 9 of sheet metal which isformed or bent so as to conform approximately to the inside curvature ofthe keel. These apron-strips are at the ends and bottoms of the airchambers and are riveted or otherwise suitably secured to the sides ofthe hull.

Preferably the apron-strips 9, 9 of the two air chambers are formedintegrally with and as continuations of a preferably imperforate plateor web 10 which is so secured to the hull as to provide a tension andstiffening member therefor, and furnishes as it were, a supplementalbackbone to the boat. Said tension and stiffening plate or web 10extends longitudinally of the boat at a distance above but in proximityto the keel and is there provided with side flanges 11, 12 which aresecured by rivets 13 or otherwise, to the sides of the hull. It will benoted that the said plate or web 10 is not of such size or area as totake up any of the available passenger space within the hull. The jointbetween the end sheets 7 of the air chambers and the tension andstiffening plate or web 10 is preferably constructed as shown in Figs. 2and 1:, and more particularly in detail, in Fig. 5.

Angle plates 14-, 1 1*", are located in the corners formed by the lowerends of the end sheets 7 of the air chambers and the plate or web 10,and the flanges of said angle plates are secured as by rivets 15 to thesaid plate or web and by rivets 16 to the said end sheets. Incidentallyit may be noted that the said angle plates 14:, 1 1" secure the lowerends of the apron strips 9, 9 to the lower ends of the end sheets 7 ofthe air chambers. It is clearly obvious that the said angle plates maybe secured in the corners between the end sheets and the apron-strips,and that the latter are not necessarily formed integrally with and ascontinuations of the tension and stiffening plate or web 10.

tages incident to the improved construction.

described and shown; the joints involved between the plate or web 10 andthe 'a'ir chambers and the hull are water-tight, and the said plate orweb provides a tension and stiffening member to preclude collapsing ofthe boat.

In order to permit painting of the sur-. faces which aresurrounded bythe apron-' strips, plate or web, the keel," and the side. portions ofthe hull located between said;

parts, the space definedby them is preferably formed as a channel 17extending along and above the keel and at its outer' ends opening upthrough the top of the boat. .It is clear that the walls of the channel17 may be readily painted with the usual waterproof paint by simplycausing a suflicient amount to flow in through the channelifrom end toend until all surfaces and interstices arecovered, when the surpluspaint maybe permitted to flow out of the end openings of the channel.

lVhat I claim as new is 1. In a life-boat, the combination of a hullprovided with air chambers at'bothends, which chambers have underwallsextending along'aboi'e the keel of the boat, and atension and stifieningplate or web connecting the said underwalls of said air' chambers andsecured along itssides to the bottom of said. hull and in proximity tobut spaced away from the keel.

2.. In a life-boat, the combination of a hull provided with air chambersat both ends, said air chambers each having an apron strip secured atits ends to the air chamber walls and the sides of which are secured'to.the sides of said hull, a tension and stifien ing plate secured alongits sides to the bottom"of'saidhull'and in proximity to the keel, andflanged means for securing said plate to the Walls of said air chambers.

3. In a life-boat, the combination of ahull provided With air chambersat both ends having 'bottoin' apron-strips, a tension and stiffeningplate or web integral with said apron-strips and secured along its'sidesto the bottom of said 'hull and in proximity to the keel, and flangesextending from the walls of said chambers and secured to said I strips.

4. In alife-boat, the combination of a hull provided with airchambers atboth ends,

'and' an imperforate tension and stiffening plateor webconnecting thelower ends of said air chambers and having side flanges I'lVGtGCl tothebottom' of said hull and 111 proximity to but spaced away from thekeel.

5. In a life-boat, the combination of a hull provided with air chambersat both ends, said air chambers each having an apronstrip secured at itsends to the air chamber walls and the sides of which are secured to thesides of said hull,'and a tension'and stiffening plate orweb connectingthe lower ends of said apron-strips and secured along its sides to thebottom of said hull and in proximity to'said keel, saidapron-strips' andsaidtension andstifi'ening plate 01' web being separated from the keelby'a channel eX- tending from the top of said air chambers along thekeel, and the upper ends of said channel opening upwardly through thetop of the boat.

Signed-at New Yorkcity, N. Y., this 11th day" of October 1912.

' FREDERIC lV. MARTIN.

vWVitnesses:

Moses ELY; ABRAM BERNSTEIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for'five' cents each, byaddressing the f Commissioner of Patents, WashingtomDjC.

